The Courage to Try: A Few Good Businesses

If you’ve ever had a conversation with a small business owner, you can’t help but walk away changed. Their enthusiasm and determination is infectious and to some, delusional. But, when I think of the long list of delusional people who have gone on to create successful companies, something inside of me nudges me forward and challenges me to add my name to that list. Not everyone is made from the entrepreneurial cloth and that’s as it should be. But for those of us who are, keep in mind that there will be challenges and you may even fail, but how you fail and what you do next is what matters.

A few years back, I worked with two gentlemen who chose to leave the company and go into business for themselves. One left to partner with a guy whose company attempted to sell ad space on golf carts and the other left to chase storm damage all over the country. I don’t think either of these businesses survived the start-up stage and the whispers around the water cooler were in full swing. Sadly, in all that chatter, not one person applauded their courage to at least try.

When I think of courage, I am reminded of one of my favorite movies, A Few Good Men with Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson.  Everyone talks of the legendary “You can’t handle the truth” line that Nicholson (Col. Nathan Jessup) made famous, but my favorite part is a little less dramatic, but just as powerful.  Lt. Daniel Kaffee (Cruise) made the choice to pursue Jessup on the stand despite being advised of the risks.  I mean, to go after a high-ranking officer with a perfect service record and accuse him of a crime was “funny” as Jessup put it and could have been catastrophic for Kaffe had it gone bad.  But, when the camera zooms in on Kaffee, he looks over at his counsel, Lt. Cdr. JoAnne Galloway (Moore) and Lt. Sam Weinberg, for direction only to be met with shaking heads of disapproval and silence. The choice was his.  He could have played it safe and excused the witness. Many of us would have. But, he didn’t. Nervously at first, he pressed Jessup and the truth exploded from his mouth. Kaffee achieved his goal.

Being a small business owner is just about the hardest work you’ll do, but it can also be the most rewarding. You get to put your stamp on what you create and make decisions that directly impact the end result. It will take courage and lots of it. Courage to keep trying when things are going bad and character to reach out to help someone else when things are good for you but bad for them. Courage is, in itself, a very marketable asset.

**Buzzworthy:  Deborah Bishop. Whole Wealth.